California may be going to hell in a bucket under the ruinous leadership of Governor Gavin Newsom and his fellow Democrats but rather than address serious issues, the state is going after Big Oil which it claims is responsible for climate change and is seeking billions of dollars in compensation for alleged damages.
In a move that does nothing to address rampant crime, unaffordable housing costs, homelessness, and drug addiction, the state has filed a lawsuit against five major oil companies, BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and ConocoPhillips as well as the American Petroleum Institute accusing them of deceiving the public about the damage caused by their product to the planet.
“For more than 50 years, Big Oil has been lying to us — covering up the fact that they’ve long known how dangerous the fossil fuels they produce are for our planet,” Newsom said in a statement. “California taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for billions of dollars in damages — wildfires wiping out entire communities, toxic smoke clogging our air, deadly heat waves, record-breaking droughts parching our wells.”
“California taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill. California is taking action to hold big polluters accountable,” the governor added.
California is suing Big Oil for lying about climate change.
We’re taking five major oil companies to court for wreaking havoc on our planet and lying to people about the dangers of fossil fuels.
It’s time they pay their fair share. pic.twitter.com/hu1Glnq4Da
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) September 16, 2023
“Oil and gas company executives have known for decades that reliance on fossil fuels would cause these catastrophic results, but they suppressed that information from the public and policymakers by actively pushing out disinformation on the topic,” states the lawsuit which was filed in state Superior Court in San Francisco on Friday.
“Their deception caused a delayed societal response to global warming. And their misconduct has resulted in tremendous costs to people, property, and natural resources, which continue to unfold each day,” the 135-page civil complaint reads.
(Video: KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco)
“Oil companies have known for decades that burning fossil fuels leads to climate change. They hid, lied, and tried to confuse the public about that truth,” wrote California Attorney General Rob Bonta on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday. “We’re suing them. We won’t let Big Oil keep peddling lies that put our planet in peril each day.”
Oil companies have known for decades that burning fossil fuels leads to climate change.
They hid, lied, and tried to confuse the public about that truth.
We’re suing them.
We won’t let Big Oil keep peddling lies that put our planet in peril each day. https://t.co/DTknWbxqas
— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) September 16, 2023
“This ongoing, coordinated campaign to wage meritless, politicized lawsuits against a foundational American industry and its workers is nothing more than a distraction from important national conversations and an enormous waste of California taxpayer resources,” Ryan Meyers, American Petroleum Institute senior vice president said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.
“Addressing climate change requires a collaborative, society-wide approach,” oil giant Shell said in a statement. “We agree that action is needed now on climate change, and we fully support the need for society to transition to a lower-carbon future.”
“Climate change is a global problem that requires a coordinated international policy response, not piecemeal litigation for the benefit of lawyers and politicians. California has long been a leading promoter of oil and gas development. Its local courts have no constructive or constitutionally permissible role in crafting global energy policy,” a spokesperson for Chevron said in an email to CNN.
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Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.
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